George W. Bush says he made a conscious and deliberate decision not to react
to the shocking news that the United States was under attack on September
11, 2001 because he wanted to project an image of calm.

The former President was widely derided for continuing to read The Pet Goat
with a classroom of children while the World Trade Center burned. In a rare
interview, however, he now says his apparent inaction over a full seven
minutes was really a cunning ruse to reassure the children in the room.